Letter: Upset proves that campaigns matter

To the editor

Updated
7:05 am EDT, Monday, July 2, 2018

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes a moment between interviews in New York, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. The 28-year-old political newcomer who upset U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley in New York's Democrat primary says she brings an "urgency" to the fight for working families. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) less

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes a moment between interviews in New York, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. The 28-year-old political newcomer who upset U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley in New York's Democrat primary says she ... more

Photo: Seth Wenig

Photo: Seth Wenig

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes a moment between interviews in New York, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. The 28-year-old political newcomer who upset U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley in New York's Democrat primary says she brings an "urgency" to the fight for working families. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) less

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes a moment between interviews in New York, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. The 28-year-old political newcomer who upset U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley in New York's Democrat primary says she ... more

Photo: Seth Wenig

Letter: Upset proves that campaigns matter

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Some clarification is needed regarding what is being termed a jolt to the Democrat establishment by the upset victory in New York City by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a former campaign organizer for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential bid, over Congressman Joe Crowley, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House.

What happened is similar to when Republican Scott Brown upset Martha Coakley, former state attorney general of Massachusetts, in the race to fill U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy's seat after his death. Coakley is an extremely competent professional individual who happens to be the worst campaigner since the Greeks invented democracy. On top of that her campaign staff thought all they had to do to win was show up. The GOP ran a good campaign for Brown and they won because Coakley is very bad on the stump and neither she or her staff took it seriously.

To a degree the story is the same with Crowley and his people, who thought they were the pros with the funds and didn't have to take Ocasio-Cortez seriously. Joe, whom I knew when first elected to the state Assembly, missed debates and really didn't do what is required to win. He paid the price. Was there a backlash against the establishment? Yes, but that should not have been enough to unseat Crowley if he had actually taken the race seriously.